Seen better days: A view of the eroded shoreline at Pantai Tanjung Batu in Pekan, Pahang. — Bernama
PEKAN: It may not be as well-known as Teluk Chempedak and Cherating, but in its heyday, Kampung Tanjung Batu had a beach that drew crowds from throughout Pahang.
The sands of Pantai Tanjung Batu used to be dotted with chalets while fishermen from this village, an hour from Kuantan, could make a living from the South China Sea’s bounty.
All that is gone due to years of coastal erosion, which has eaten away most of the beach and almost closed up an estuary used by fishing boats.
“There was a famous resort here once, the Kekunang Tering Chalet, which has been swallowed up by the sea,” said Kampung Tanjung Batu sub-district chief Mudzafar Abu Samah.
Fisher-folk’s incomes have also been hit as they find it harder to get their boats out of the jetties in the shallow estuary, he added.
But things could look up for the village as the state government is pouring RM58mil into a project to stop coastal erosion and restore the shoreline.
Pahang government officials and the project’s main contractor said once done, the reclaimed beach could revive tourism in the area and help fisherfolk go out to sea more frequently.
The initiative involves reclaiming a 4.3km strip of land stretching south from the Sungai Tering estuary, said Mohd Reezal Mahat, the general manager of Vista Infinity Development Sdn Bhd, the project’s main contractor.
Once completed in March 2026, the shore will be 200m wider than it is now while the estuary will be deeper by about 1.5m, he said, reported Bernama.
The entire project includes building retaining walls for the banks of the Sungai Tering estuary and filling up the shore with 1.2 million cubic metres of sand dredged up from the river.
“When we are done, the restored beach will be wide, with a gently sloping profile,” Mohd Reezal said, adding that beacon lights from Spain will also be installed to help fisher-folk navigate in and out of the Sungai Tering estuary at night.
Also present during the visit were state public works, transport and health committee chairman Datuk Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff, Pekan district officer Datuk Zaliza Zulkipli, and Vista Group chairman Mohd Ghani Hitam.
Mohd Ghani said when completed, the river estuary will no longer be blocked by tides, and boats can come and go at all times.
“The wide and gently sloping beach will allow this area to regain its reputation as a tourist location, as it used to have famous chalets before the erosion.”
The project will also indirectly open up job opportunities for locals employed by Vista, in addition to benefiting local transport companies, quarries, hardware stores and restaurants in the surrounding area, said Mohd Ghani.
“We have also established a 24-hour task force for emergency work throughout the monsoon season. For example, we helped build a temporary barrier of sandbanks, to prevent large waves from directly hitting the houses of residents near the beach,” he said.
